Emperor, Empress Arrive in Kyoto

The Emperor and Empress arrive at Tokyo Station on their way to Kyoto on Monday.

The Emperor and Empress arrived in Kyoto on Monday as part of a trip to report the Emperor’s coming abdication at the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu, the country’s mythical first Emperor.

The Imperial couple held a tea ceremony at the Kyoto Imperial Palace later in the afternoon to mark the 30th anniversary of the Emperor’s enthronement, bringing together representatives from various fields in western Japan.

A total of 256 guests have been invited, including the governors of the prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga and Wakayama, local government officials and business leaders.

The Emperor and Empress will travel to the Nara city of Kashihara by train on Tuesday to pay their respects at the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu in one of the ceremonies related to the current Emperor’s abdication slated for April 30.

On Wednesday afternoon, they will attend a tea ceremony hosted by personnel of the Imperial Household Agency at the Kyoto Imperial Palace to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Emperor’s enthronement and the 60th anniversary of the couple’s marriage.

They will return to Tokyo on Thursday.

The Emperor and Empress are scheduled to visit Ise Jingu shrine in Mie Prefecture on April 18 and the mausoleum of Emperor Showa in Tokyo’s Hachioji on April 23 to report the abdication.